Archive for October 2026
Virtual hike along the Black Head Loop, Burren, Ireland
For the last couple of days, I have explored, virtually, the Black Head Loop, a trail called Route 7 in Tony Kirby’s The Burren & the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide. This trail includes the same ‘green road’ included in the Caher Valley Loop and the Burren Way, described in my last two ‘Burren’ posts, but also takes in some new areas, visible in Google Earth’s Street View.
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I started the trail where it intersects with the Caher River Road. The land now looks familiar to me, with expanses of green pasture land, stone fences, and the limestone pavements encountered on the Burren Way.
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About half way along this part of the trail is a ruin, a ring known as Cathair an Arc Dorais (‘the fort of the high door’). It once housed both a church and an ale house!
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At the end of this road, the trail comes to an intersection and veers to the left towards Cappahawalla Peak. This is a zig zag ‘green road’ that has no Street View but an aerial view hints at the type of terrain.
This area is known for having an abundance and diversity of wilfdflower species. The bee orchid, pyramidal orchid, fragrant orchid and autumn lady’s tresses are all found here. Also, the very uncommon Arctic sandwort (Arenaria norvegica) which is only known from two other locations in the British Isles.
This sandwort is not included in Zoe Devlin’s Flora. She does list other sandworts including thyme-leaved sandwort (Arenaria serpyllifolia), which also grows here in New Brunswick. It is a low-growing herb with tiny white five-petalled flowers.
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I will continue my ritual ‘walk’ along the Black Head Loop in the next post.
All my best,
Jane
sweeping fallen leaves
We live in the woods and because I love trees, we rarely cut one unless it dies, threatens the house, or if it is blocking a trail we are making.
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There are down-sides to having so many trees nearby. Perhaps the worst is leaf fall in the autumn. The leaves clog my little pond and have to be removed each spring. And they literally cover the decks if we don’t sweep them away.
The leaves on our decks today are almost entirely red maple which have now lost all their leaves. The leaves are coloured a variety of reds, oranges and browns. There are also some white birch leaves, yellow in colour.
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I only saw a few red oak leaves on the deck today, although we have lots of oak on our property. The oaks change colour later than the maples and hold on to their leaves long after other trees let go.
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Today I went out to sweep the lower deck. As I worked, I was most aware of sounds:
- the brushing of the broom across the deck boards
- the crunching of the leaves against one another
- the rushing of the wind, quite brisk today
- the whisper as individual leaves tumble in front of the wind
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My efforts paid off and the deck is mostly clear (not completely since I am not a perfectionist).
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All my best,
Keep listening to the sounds out there!!!
Jane
Virtual hike along the Caher Valley Loop, Burren, Ireland
The Caher Valley Loop is a shorter trail (14.5 km), in the same area as the Burren Way (my recent post) and follows, in part, the same ‘green road.’ The trail begins along a main road, the Bôthar Leaca (translates to Flaggy Road). This climbs a hill and the ocean is visible to the right. The trail is included as Route 6 in Tony Kirby’s The Burren & the Aran Islands: A Walking Guide.
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I was puzzled by a couple of structures along the road. My husband says these are cisterns or reservoirs for livestock water, fed by underground springs and streams.
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Where I met the horse on my virtual hike of the Burren Way, the trail takes a left across the same ‘green road.’ The ‘green roads’ are usually lined with stone walls and are used for livestock or hiking.
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The Caher Valley Loop continues where the ‘green road’ exits to a Street View road and the trail proceeds all the way to the ocean.
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The issue of water seemed to dominate the trail. It follows the Caher River, a narrow stream, the only surface river in the area. Otherwise, water moves underground or surfaces only intermittently. This is because the limestone bedrock allows water to percolate away from the surface. The Caher River exists because of its unusual, impermeable clay riverbed. The trail crosses a couple of bridges and then leads downward to the ocean.
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The terrain is very different from what I am used to—the surface soil is known to move over the limestone substrate, making it unsuitable for agriculture other than pasture. In the photos of the river, you can see the evidence of soil movement in the ‘waves’ of mobile ground and the shallow, eroding soil above the limestone.
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To end my virtual journey, I’ll show a photo of the local terrain and a particularly interesting ‘balancing rock’ (Source:Google Earth).
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All my best,
Jane
Harvesting Colour: poems about the experience of dyeing with plants
In 2014, I was fortunate to receive a grant from artsNB (the New Brunswick Arts Board) for preparing a manuscript of poems on the experience of using plants as dyestuff. For a botanist and writer, this was a wonderful project. I worked all one summer gathering plant material, preparing the dyes, dyeing wool and various fabrics, and spinning the dyed wool. I produced several posts in this blog about the process ( click on https://janetims.com/?s=dyes ). Recently, my husband and I picked a basket of bright yellow tansy, and I dyed and spun eleven balls of wool. The experience inspired me to pick up my manuscript and produce a book of poems about dyeing with plants.
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Now, I am almost ready to publish my manuscript. Harvesting Colour will be illustrated and have 57 poems. The book will be published early in December and available on Amazon.ca and in local bookstores.
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I illustrate almost all of my books with black and white drawings. But, for a book about colour, I decided that including some of my paintings and photos in colour would be appropriate. I am so proud of my book, now in the final editing stage.
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I will let you know as soon as the book is available.
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All my best,
Jane
A virtual journey to the Burren area of Ireland: Burren Way
I have been continuing on my virtual trail-walking, using The Burren &Aran Islands: A Walking Guide (Kirby, 2009). My trip yesterday was along the 22 km Burren Way. The trail starts at Ballynalackan (Clare County) and ends at Ballyvaughn to the northeast. Most of the road is on older, unpaved ways, but I was able to follow the start and finish of the trail on Google Earth Street View. Since the trail is so long, I decided to start at the Fanore Viewpoint a short distance from Ballyella, following the old ‘green road’ towards the Caher River.
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My first view of the trail involved meeting a friendly horse near the viewpoint. The trail begins to the left of the photo. You can see how open the landscape is here. Much of the trail crosses the limestone pavements mentioned in my last post about the Burren.
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The trail begins at a ‘y’ in the road. To the left is a view of Galway Bay:
Source: Google Street View
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Although there are no Street View roads to follow for much of the Burren Way, there is an image of the green road at one point (Photo Credit: Jacek D). Dry-laid rock fencing lines the road now used as a walking trail and passage for herds of sheep and cattle.
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At the northeast part of the trail, Street View shows the roadways. Along this part of Burren Way are several church ruins.
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In case you think there are no trees to be seen, here is a shot of some of the hedgerow and trees of the deciduous woodland along the northeastern portion of the trail. The hedgerow is composed of spindle, blackthorn and whitethorn.
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As a botanist, I was particularly interested in the vegetation described by the Walking Guide. Some of the plants occurring along the Burren Way include the rare pyramidal bugle and two species of heather (common and bell).
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The pyramidal bugle (Ajuga pyramidalis) is a stubby, hairy version of the bugleweed growing in my own front yard. I use the plant as ground cover so I never have to mow the ‘lawn.’ The pyramidal bugle is a very rare native perennial, growing on calcareous soil.
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Years ago, I tried to grow the wiry and pink-flowered common heather (Calluna vulgaris) on our property, but although it lasted a few years, it did not stay. Bell heather (Erica cinerea) has magenta-purple flowers and narrow upright stems with narrow, needle-like leaves. Both heathers are woody as they age.
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I will close this post with a lovely photo of bell heather (Source: wildflowersofireland.net).
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All my Best,
Jane
A virtual journey to the Burren area of Ireland
Lately, I am aware of being on the computer every time I get a free minute. I have always been a multitasker and, when we watch TV, for example, I usually write, or sew, or play a game on my laptop. Lately I have been wishing for a more relaxing break time.
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I am a botanist and in my writing life, I have collected many books. Among these has been The Burren & The Aran Islands: A Walking Guide (Tony Kirby, The Collins Press, Cork, 2014). I have never been to Ireland, but some of my ancestors lived there (my Ancestry DNA result indicates I am 4% from Connacht, Ireland, and 1% from Leinster, Ireland) and I am interested in the world they experienced.
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For this reason, I started to read The Walking Guide and quickly realized I was impressed by the geology of the area and the wildflowers found there. I also have a copy of the book The Wildflowers of Ireland: A Field Guide (Zoe Devlin, The Collins Press, Cork, 2018), so I have been able to look at a photo and description of the various species in The Walking Guide.
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I realized as I read, that I would be able to get a better idea of the terrain and landscape on Google Earth‘s ‘Street View.’ Although the specific trails are not always found on Street View, many people have posted photos of parts of the trails. So, here I am, back on the computer!
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One of the most interesting aspects of this part of Ireland is the limestone pavements. This feature is extensive in the area and is made up of limestone rock. Blocks of the pavement are called glints; between glints are fissures called grikes. The pavements are a feature of Karst topography and were created by sedimentation and glacial erosion.
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Although I know most of the flora of Canada and North America, I am encountering plants I have never seen was well as some I know well. An example of a plant known to me because it grows in our area, is yellow-rattle (Rhinanthus minor). A plant I have never seen is hoary-rockrose (Helianthemum oelandicum ssp. piloseelloides) a plant rare in Ireland. This is a low growing plant with 5-petalled yellow flowers.
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I will enjoy my virtual walk through the Burren and the Aran Islands of Ireland. I am currently working on Route 5 of The Walking Guide. From time to time, I will post about some of the interesting geology, plants and history I encounter.
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All my best,
Jane
Four new Rural Mysteries
The first four books in my new Rural Mystery Series are now available on Amazon and from bookstores in New Brunswick. Each of the books presents an adventure in a rural setting in the Maritime Provinces, and tells of a mystery to be solved.
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Each mystery features a cover showing one of my paintings and is illustrated by me with black and white drawings that contribute to the telling of story. The mysteries are novellas, each about 20,000 words in length, so they are quick reads with fast-paced stories.
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A Quick Look at Each of the Books:
Garden Paths: After her uncle’s death, Ella discovers her unknown birth mother, and a beautiful garden crafted by her long-dead mother and kept by her uncle in her honour. As she explores the garden and the community where her mother lived, she encounters her unknown relatives and lays claim to her heritage.
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The Road Leads: Chelsea, with a stretch of vacation available, convinces her next door neighbour to accompany her on a visit to each of visit five locations marked on a map found in the glove compartment of her vintage car. Together, they travel to the locations, by car, on foot and by all terrain vehicle, and discover the secret revealed by their discoveries.
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Under the Stars: Hazel, who considers a big field in her community the perfect place to wander or pursue her interest in viewing the stars, is upset when a group of squatters takes over ‘her’ field. Now she must find the person who owns the field and recover her former haven.
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The Trail Through the Pines: On the date of her move into her new house, Greta’s friend Stacy goes missing, leaving Stacy’s car parked at the base of the hill where Greta lives. The police organise a search, but Greta must try to find her friend in her own way and stumbles into the clutches of people who mean her harm.
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As with my Urban Mystery Series, I have linked my Rural Mysteries with my Meniscus Science Fiction Series. In each of the Rural Mysteries, the aliens of planet Meniscus abduct someone. Readers of the Meniscus Series can then discover the abductees in the pages of the thirteen books in that series. This explains the subtitle on every book: A Meniscus Peripheral.
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I hope you will enjoy the Rural Mysteries. You can find these books at Dog Eared Books in Oromocto, at the Write Cup in Saint John, and on-line at Page28 https://page28books.square.site/shop/new-brunswick-authors and Amazon https://www.amazon.ca/Garden-Paths-Alexandra-Tims/dp/1069375365
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All my best,
Alexandra (a.k.a. Jane)
